Who's to blame?

Today (well technically yesterday) was the 7 year anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001. I think most of us remember that day vividly. I can remember that I didn't have class that day and slept in. I came down stairs and turned on the TV not to long after the second plane hit the towers. I sat on the couch not being able to believe what I was watching. It was a terrible day that is burned into the minds of the people in our country.

Today as we always do at God's Children's House, we talked about what is in the news. Many of the kids mentioned that today was the anniversary of 9/11. Several of them didn't really know that much about it. So I explained what happened, and how the terrorist used the planes as weapons. Then one of the student's spoke up and said, "them terrorist were some beasts" (that's hood for someone who can't be stopped for example Lebron James is a beast on the court). I tried to explain to this young man that something terrible had happened. Then he and other's responded with they was on their job, that was gangsta. I was dumbfounded. After laying into them pretty bad about there being nothing good about anyone who kills innocent people, I began to think who's to blame for this attitude?

There are several easy answers. It's because of violent video games. However most credible studies now say that there is no link between violent video games and violent behavior or attitudes. Also most of the kids who were talking don't even own video game systems. The other obcious answer is rap music. I do agree that portrayl of the gangsta lifestyle as being a true black man by rappers is a problem. Seriously ten years ago most there was a definite choice in main stream hip hop. There was a big movement of positive hip hop. Today the Lupe Fiasco's are two few to be heard. Even BET said that Little Brother's music video was too intelligent for their audience. These are problems when the role models in a society act in this manner. However most kids are able to understand the difference between the fake lifestyles portrayed by most rappers and reality.

The root of the probelm is in our and other inner city communities there is no parental guidance to stiffle this gangsta attitude. It is not just absent parents that are the problem. Most of the kids have parents, they just have bad ones. Many of our parents would drive their child around the neighborhood looking for another child who had punked their child, so their child could beat the other kid up. They get into physical fights with other parents, threaten teachers, and allow their children to shoot off their guns (we're not talking about hunting here, we're talking about letting off automatic gunfire into the air in a populated area). What can we do about parents that not only don't know how to be parents, but can't be desecent human beings? Recently in Vibe magazine they asked "Why does Barack Obama think he needs to call black parents to task everytime he speaks." First of all he's not talking to just black parents, he's talking to all parents. The reason is he gets it. No amount of govermental programs are going to make your kids descent people if you don't raise them. So what's the answer? In the words of Larry Norman, "Don't ask me for the answer's I only have one that a man leaves the darkness, when he follows the son." Without a change in their very spirit there will be no change. I guess that is why I do what I do I guess. I hope that maybe some of the kids will get it, and through their faith in Christ they take a different path.